Nepal’s maiden ODI series win, achieved against the United Arab Emirates last week, owed a lot to their talismanic captain Paras Khadka, who starred with a brilliant 115 in a tricky chase of 255 in the deciding third game. In the process, Khadka became the first Nepalese batsman to score an ODI hundred. With this performance serving as the context, here is a look back at the first ODI centurion for every nation, with the respective team’s ODI match number shown in brackets.
Note: No batsman from East Africa, Namibia, and the USA has scored an ODI hundred.
Dennis Amiss (England – ODI # 2), 1972
Amiss had the honour of scoring the first ODI hundred in the second ODI ever played. England were chasing a target of 223 from the allotted 55 overs against Australia at Old Trafford in 1972. Amiss anchored the chase with a 134-ball 103, which brought his team a six-wicket win. Incidentally, Amiss also scored the first World Cup hundred, against India in 1975.
Roy Fredericks (West Indies – ODI # 2), 1973
An aggressive hundred from Fredericks helped the West Indies to a convincing eight-wicket win at The Oval that levelled the two-match series 1-1. After England were bowled out for 189, the Guyanese southpaw hit 105 from 122 balls to ensure victory with as many as 74 balls to spare.
Ken Wadsworth (New Zealand – ODI # 5), 1973-74
Australia put up a robust 265/5 from the stipulated 35 eight-ball overs after electing to bat at Christchurch’s Lancaster Park. Wicketkeeper Ken Wadsworth walked out with New Zealand at 70/4 in reply, and went on to smash 104 in 98 balls. However, Australia limited the total to 234/6 to win by 31 runs. Wadsworth tragically passed away in 1976 due to skin cancer, aged just 29.
Majid Khan (Pakistan – ODI # 2), 1974
Pakistan’s first ODI in England, at Trent Bridge, was reduced by five overs to a 50-over affair after a rain delay. David Lloyd’s 116* took England to 244/4, but was overshadowed by the brilliance of Majid, who scored 109 from only 93 balls to set up Pakistan’s seven-wicket victory.
Alan Turner (Australia – ODI # 9), 1975
The left-handed Turner combined with Rick McCosker to build an opening stand of 181 in Australia’s World Cup group match against Sri Lanka at The Oval, before being dismissed for 101 from 113 balls. Australia duly amassed 328/5, to which the Sri Lankans replied with 276/4.
Roy Dias (Sri Lanka – ODI # 12), 1982-83
Sri Lanka had upset India at the 1979 World Cup, but lost all three games in their first bilateral series against their neighbours. The second ODI at Delhi saw the islanders post an impressive 277/8 due to Dias’ 114-ball 102. But the knock went in vain, as India cruised to a six-wicket win.
Kapil Dev (India – ODI # 45), 1983
India took the longest among all teams before producing an ODI centurion, and it was only fitting that the landmark innings was one of the most significant in their cricketing history. With his team needing to beat Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells to stay alive at the World Cup, captain Kapil arrived to bat at a woeful 9/4, and went on to score a stunning 175* from 138 balls – then the highest ODI score. This monumental effort took India to 266/8, and eventually, a 31-run win.
David Houghton (Zimbabwe – ODI # 7), 1987-88
Zimbabwe nearly pulled off an incredible win in their first game of the 1987 World Cup against New Zealand at Hyderabad, and Houghton was the man who brought them close. Batting at number three in a chase of 243, the wicketkeeper rescued Zimbabwe from 104/7 with a sparkling 142 off 137 balls before being eighth out at 221. New Zealand squeezed home by just three runs.
Andrew Hudson (South Africa – ODI # 20), 1992-93
Chasing India’s modest 207/4 at Bloemfontein, South Africa registered an eight-wicket win with 16 balls to spare to take an unassailable 4-1 lead in the seven-match series. Hudson led the way with 108 off 147 balls, his opening stand of 125 with captain Kepler Wessels shutting India out.
Dipak Chudasama (Kenya – ODI # 10), 1997-98
The opening match of the President’s Cup tri-series (also involving Zimbabwe) between Kenya and Bangladesh at Nairobi’s Gymkhana Club Ground saw the hosts pile up 347/3 en route to a 150-run win. Openers Chudasama and Kennedy Otieno (144) starred by putting together a new record stand of 225. Chudasama reached his century first, and ended up with 122 from 113 balls.
Mehrab Hossain (Bangladesh – ODI # 30), 1999-00
Mehrab’s 101 from 116 balls and his 170-run opening stand with Shahriar Hossain were not enough to deliver victory for Bangladesh at Dhaka in the last league encounter of a tri-series also featuring Kenya, as Zimbabwe chased down 258 to win by three wickets with three balls left.
John Davison (Canada – ODI # 7), 2002-03
Davison blitzed a 67-ball ton while opening against the West Indies in a group game of the 2003 World Cup at Centurion, which was then the fastest in the tournament’s history. He finished with 111 from 76 balls, but the Windies, requiring 203, coasted to a seven-wicket win inside 21 overs.
Feiko Kloppenburg (Netherlands – ODI # 13), 2002-03
The Netherlands’ first ODI success, against Namibia at Bloemfontein at the 2003 World Cup, revolved around a second-wicket partnership between opener Kloppenburg and Klaas-Jan van Noortwijk (134*) that paved the way for a total of 314/4, and ultimately, a 64-run win. Kloppenburg scored 121 from 142 balls, and for good measure, took 4/42 with his medium pace.
Irving Romaine (Bermuda – ODI # 5), 2006
Captain Romaine’s well-paced 101 from 111 balls against Canada at Toronto was the catalyst for Bermuda’s win by 11 runs. Batting at number four, Romaine carried his side from 54/3 to 272/7.
Ryan Watson (Scotland – ODI # 12), 2006-07
Watson helped Scotland overhaul Canada’s 292/5 in a tri-series fixture at Mombasa. He remained unbeaten on 123 off 120 balls to secure his team’s two-wicket win with a ball to spare.
Jeremy Bray (Ireland – ODI # 4), 2006-07
The left-handed Bray’s 116 from 136 balls carried Ireland to 280/7 in the first match of the World Cricket League at Nairobi, but it could not deny Scotland a last-ball win by three wickets.
Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan – ODI # 3), 2009
The belligerent Shahzad enabled Afghanistan to draw a two-match series with the Netherlands at Amstelveen, as he made 110 in 111 balls to guide his team to a six-wicket win in a chase of 232.
Lega Siaka (Papua New Guinea – ODI # 2), 2014-15
Siaka anchored the Barramundis’ response to Hong Kong’s 261 at Townsville with 109 from 114 balls. Though he was run out, his efforts bore fruit as Papua New Guinea won by three wickets.
Khurram Khan (United Arab Emirates – ODI # 16), 2014-15
Emirati skipper Khurram stroked a 138-ball 132 to help his team chase 281 and seal a six-wicket win against Afghanistan at Dubai. Aged 43, he became the oldest man to record an ODI century.
Mark Chapman (Hong Kong – ODI # 9), 2015-16
Chapman, who now plays for New Zealand, marked his ODI debut against the UAE at Dubai with a match-winning 124* from 116 balls. Hong Kong racked up 298/4 to set up an 89-run win.
Paras Khadka (Nepal – ODI # 6), 2018-19
With the three-match series locked at 1-1, Nepal rode on captain Khadka’s 115 from 109 balls in the decider at Dubai to chase down the UAE’s 254/6 and win by four wickets with 32 balls left.